Emma Meyer 24th September, 2012 EDC 102H Dr. Fogelman
Game of School Reading about the game of school was as though someone had documented my academic performance. It was eerily similar to my self-proclaimed laziness – where I do the bare minimum in order to ensure a good grade. The game of school, for me, despite the subject or the teacher, has always been apparent. At best, the game has only been minimized because of my enthusiasm for a class. Even so, I find that my learning is not solely for the purpose of intellectual advancement, but rather an A. At some level, I do not even feel guilty about playing the game, for it is encouraged by the great importance that is weighed upon in regards to class rank. Without an impressive record, one cannot expect to advance onto an outstanding college, ultimately leading to the greatest careers. This academic record, however, does not necessary entail that the student had actually learned the material, instead of just memorizing it. While this is a very prominent problem, I do not see a way of avoiding it. There seems to be no other plausible way than a report card to give objective feedback on a student’s performance, and this will always be the most looked to indicator of a child’s improvement. Until this conundrum is addressed, I do not see the game of school ending; and I, among many others, will continue to play it, not getting the most from our education because of a misplaced goal of doing anything for the A.
24th September, 2012
EDC 102H
Dr. Fogelman
Game of School
Reading about the game of school was as though someone had documented my academic performance. It was eerily similar to my self-proclaimed laziness – where I do the bare minimum in order to ensure a good grade. The game of school, for me, despite the subject or the teacher, has always been apparent. At best, the game has only been minimized because of my enthusiasm for a class. Even so, I find that my learning is not solely for the purpose of intellectual advancement, but rather an A. At some level, I do not even feel guilty about playing the game, for it is encouraged by the great importance that is weighed upon in regards to class rank. Without an impressive record, one cannot expect to advance onto an outstanding college, ultimately leading to the greatest careers. This academic record, however, does not necessary entail that the student had actually learned the material, instead of just memorizing it. While this is a very prominent problem, I do not see a way of avoiding it. There seems to be no other plausible way than a report card to give objective feedback on a student’s performance, and this will always be the most looked to indicator of a child’s improvement. Until this conundrum is addressed, I do not see the game of school ending; and I, among many others, will continue to play it, not getting the most from our education because of a misplaced goal of doing anything for the A.